Last month, Russell Brand visited Jordan Peterson's podcast for “The Evolution of Theology.” Which, given these two figures, had to focus on topics like the unreligious impulsivity of gay people and why slaves should “just not be slaves.” Derek and Julian discuss.

The US Military was recently outed for conducting a clandestine campaign that spread anti-vax propaganda throughout Asia. What will the conspiritualists do when confronted with an actual government conspiracy based in the anti-vax lies they’ve been spreading?

Julian tracks how Leonard Leo’s Federalist Society used Trump as part of a decades-long systematic takeover of the judicial system that culminated in the current ethics and corruption scandal in the SCOTUS.

Terrence Howard is still claiming that 1x1=2 in his most recent version of Terryology. Is it all good fun, or something more dangerous?

Terrence Howard recently made waves (again) when appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast to discuss “Terryology,” a language of logic which he claims proves one times one equals two. Eric Weinstein appeared on physicist Brian Keating’s podcast to refute the theory—and much more.

Dave Asprey recently held his 10th annual Biohacking Conference in Dallas. Mallory DeMille returns to discuss the conference after everyone discusses the history of biohack…bioquacking.

Playwright and theater scholar Hank Willenbrink joins Matthew to look at the spectacle of Donald Trump through the lens of performance studies. 

Renee Diresta joins to discuss her new book, Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality.

Julian talks to “Dancing for the Devil” series director, Derek Doneen, about the TikTok dance cult, 7M Films.

Biomedical scientist Dr Andrea Love and cosmetic chemist Dr Michelle Wong talk to Derek about the Environmental Working Group’s questionable methodologies and fear-mongering tactics.

Derek and Julian discuss atheism in the context of these recent changes of heart—including Brand’s recent appearance on Bret Weinstein’s Dark Horse podcast. They share how their own skepticism has evolved and informs their work, debating on what value religion and, specifically, a belief in a god, holds for spiritual practices today.

Philosopher Thi Nguyen first visited us 150 episodes ago (!!) to discuss how social media gamification exploded online conspiracy theories and audience capture drags content producers toward the seductions of premature clarity—and the ecstasy of fascism.  Nguyen returns to discuss “value capture”: how simplified and portable metrics in institutions, technology, and media landscapes erode our moral capacities as we pursue goals we never signed up for.

Dr. Peniel Joseph, a historian of the Civil Rights era, joins Matthew to discuss the history and present of the outside agitator trope.

Matthew discusses the republication of his book, Surviving Modern Yoga: Cult Dynamics, Charismatic Leaders, and What Survivors Can Teach Us (North Atlantic Books).

Derek talks to Dr Sarah Ballantyne about the dangers of diet and nutrition misinformation, dealing with obesity and eating disorders, and the challenges of talking about food in public. Her new book is Nutrivore: The Radical New Science for Getting the Nutrients You Need From the Food You Eat.

Derek and Julian talk to Movement Logic hosts, Laurel Beversdorf and Sarah Court, who navigate the curvilinear path of creating irreverent yet high quality science-based movement content that sets teachers and students free from dogma and fear-mongering. Our two podcasts intersect by looking into fallen gurus, pseudoscience health claims, dodgy alignment dogmas, and cults of personality susceptible to the dangers of conspiracism. And this week we’ll do a deep dive into back pain specialist, Stuart McGill.

Blair Hodges of the Fireside and Family Proclamations podcasts joins Matthew to discuss a potential casualty of the battle against religious extremism: a nuanced understanding of religion itself.

It’s been a few months since we’ve checked up on Robert F Kennedy, Jr so it’s high time we did: to look at polling, rhetoric, and charismatic technique.

Julian argues that the Q Shaman’s costume, as well as his ritual  actions on that day were also an expression of a political worldview, run through with deeply held spiritual beliefs about the world and his role in it. The history of political religion, propagandistic conspiracies, and progressive spiritual convictions may show that—far from being trivial—belief is at the heart of the American, and perhaps the human, story.

Neal Brennan talks about his weird journey through the plant medicine scene, to wonder whether emotional and spiritual healing makes him funnier, and to answer our questions about how today’s comics are dealing—or not—with their supersized role as political pundits.